CLASH OF REALITY
by Masteroth
Summary: Something is wrong in Forks and Edward, Jacob and Bella will experience it first hand when the truth shows its ugly face. SET BEFORE ECLIPSE. T-rated to be safe. Please review!
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

* * *

Bella was sitting by the usual table in the cantina at school, daydreaming about nothing and everything. It was a sunny day in Forks, and none of the Cullens had showed up... She wondered what they all might be doing on a day like this. Probably hunting in the deep forests. Except of course for Alice, who had gone on vacation on Fiji.  
With a sigh Bella sucked a bit on her straw and looked out the window dreamily. She missed Edward, even though she saw him just last night. Deep in thoughts she spun her cell phone around in circles on the table plate next to her lunch trey.

"And then it was like so awesome, when the zombie tore off his arm!" Jessica burst out and Bella seemed to pop back to reality, realizing that she hadn't heard anything of the conversation going on between her friends right in front of her. Apparently they had seen some zombie flick last night at the movies...

"Yeah, the blood spatters were pretty lame though," Mike answered back and sent Bella a brilliant white smile. She managed to return the smile even though she had no idea what the movie and even the conversation was about... except zombies.

"Was not!" Jessica pouted and stuck out her tongue with a small grin. Mike just shoot his head:

"Didn't look like real blood at all," he snapped back, also sticking out his tongue. Bella shook her head lightly, but was fairly amused about their childish bickering.

"Hey, you guys wanna get some jello?" Bella asked to try and stop the little arguement. This seemed to make Jessica's and Mike's heads turn and they both looked a little surprised at first. Jessica shrugged:

"I dunno..." she just said, but Mike immediately nodded and bumped his shoulder lightly into hers:

"Come on, it's green and gooey!" he said and looked at Bella, who had already got up from her chair, looking at them inquiringly. The cantina had just got a new jello not too long ago, and it was actually good... plus, Bella was extraordinarily hungry today. Maybe because she had skipped breakfast. Smiling at Jessica, Mike pulled her up and she muttered:

"Alright, alright..."

They walked up to the lunchline and glanced through the glass... mm, green, red and yellow jello. Which one to choose? To be honest Bella could probably eat one of each. She wondered if she would miss stuff like this once Edward turned her on the 13th...?

"I would like a green zombie jello, please!" Mike said to the lunch lady, who just shook her head with a slight smile and then handed him one. Jessica chose a yellow and Bella a red one. As they reached their table they had already started eating the dessert and Jessica smiled:

"This is actually good...!" she mumbled with jello still in her mouth.

"Eww, that's gross, Jess!" Mike retorted as they sat back down on their chairs. Bella smiled at her two friends who basically had jello all over their faces, then glanced down at her cell phone. Mm, had she really placed it to the left of her lunch trey? Usually it was on the right, but she didn't even feel like she was awake yet. She woke up this morning when Charlie knocked on her door – for some reason her alarm hadn't gone off and she barely made it to school in time. Oh god, she missed Edward. It was always so weird when he wasn't around. She just felt empty somehow. Now the bell rang and they had to get back to class... Chemistry this time. Bella sighed a bit and got up from the chair, pushing it back into place.

"Come on, you guys, we're gonna be late," she said and the two of them quickly swallowed the rest of the jello, grabbed their bags and started to walk down the hallway.

* * *

As Bella killed the engine in her old, red truck in front of her house, it was already 8pm. She had been doing part of an English project at Jessica's house... It was due in three days, and they were a little behind. She had told Edward about it yesterday, but still she was surprised how much she missed him already. She hadn't seen him since last night, yet still it felt like forever. As she stepped out of the car it was dark and foggy and careful not to slip on the wet pavement, she opened the front door:

"Dad?" she called, and a subtle 'yeah' came from the livingroom. Bella dropped her bag in the hallway and walked into the livingroom, spotting her dad flipping through the channels on the TV.

"Have you had anything to eat?" she asked and he nodded, still pushing down the switch button on the remote. The blue light from the TV was illuminating the dark livingroom in glimpses.

"What are you watching?" she asked and Charlie merely turned off the TV and looked at her:

"Why did you get a D in maths?" he asked and looked at her with a serious look on his face. Bella froze for a second... Then looked perplexed:

"What? I didn't..." she started, but her father immediately cut her off:

"Don't lie to me, Bella. Are you having problems at school?" he asked and tilted his head a bit as he studied her. Bella lifted up her hands in confusion:

"I don't know what you're talking about... I'm fine at school..." she said and bit her lower lip. Charlie let out a sigh:

"Your grades say otherwise" he just said and got up from the couch, placing a hand on each of her shoulders:

"Look... Either you explain why you got a D or you're grounded for two weeks" he said and looked at her in the dark with a both angry and concerned look in his brown eyes. Bella shook her head:

"I.. I don't know... It must be a mistake... I..." she stuttered perplexed, but Charlie then let go of her shoulders:

"Grounded it is then... The next two weeks it is school and only school. You will be home at four. And no hanging out with any friends unless it's homework. Looks like you need it," he said and walked out in the kitchen:

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight," he said in a kind of sad voice and closed the door to the hallway. Bella just stood there in the darkness, blinking a few times as if she didn't believe what had just happened.

"Goodnight..." she said softly and crossed her arms. How could she get a D?

"Great..." she mumbled as she grabbed her bag on the floor and headed up the stairs to her bedroom. The math assignments were to be returned in two days... she usually only got B's or A's in math. It had to be a mistake... but then again, she really wasn't good at equations, which had been the theme of this round of assignments. With a sigh she entered her bedroom and fumbled for her phone in the bag – she had to call Edward and tell him that she was grounded. She had to tell Jacob too, they were supposed to ride the bikes tomorrow after school.

"This sucks..." she said as she let herself fall down on the bed with the phone in her hand.

* * *

At the edge of Forks it was totally dark by the meadow and the little lake behind the concert house. Edward was looking at the sky, but the stars didn't show through the heavy cover of black clouds. The weather had definitely turned this afternoon. Straight from sunny to cloudy and rainy. At least there was almost no wind. With a small smile he picked up a little rock and threw it high into the air – with a little 'plop' it penetrated the calm surface of the lake, spreading hundreds of smooth rings. Suddenly Edward's head snapped to the side... That smell...

"What are you doing here?" he asked as his eyes almost seemed to glow in the dark.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Jacob said as he stopped a few feet away from Edward.

"I really hate the smell of wet dog," Edward mumbled angrily and sighed as he looked at the starless sky, completely ignoring the other man standing only a few feet away.

"Back off, cold one," Jacob said in a low tone of voice as he took a step towards the vampire. Edward immediately turned his head back and stared directly at him:

"Don't you come any closer! And YOU back off!" he hissed and continued:

"Bella asked me to meet her here, so beat it," Edward said in a monotone voice. Jacob pierced him with his stare:

"What... Well, she asked me to do the same thing," he said, this time confused. Edward narrowed his eyes a bit:

"And I think you're lying. You're all about sabotage and..." Edward began, but was cut off:

"And you're jealous that she loves me too!" Jacob yelled and took another step towards him. This caused Edward's eyes to sparkle with rage:

"Leave us alone or I AM going to...!" Edward said, but again he was cut off:

"Do what? Huh? Kill me? I bet you'd hurt Bella like that, it's in your nature!" Jacob snarled and both of them lowered their heads a little just staring at each other, readying themselves for a fight.

"I'd never hurt Bella!" Edward said under his breath.

"Well, I was the one who got the date, so it sure looks like it!" Jacob said hoarsely, breathing unevenly from anger. Edward's eyes narrowed again:

"I got the date, she texted me!" he growled and raised his fist. Jacob could feel the transformation was about to begin and Edward was just about to lunge forwards as a flash of light and a loud, shattering sound exploded on the lawn in the darkness behind them. Edward ducked instinctively, shielding his sensitive eyes to the sudden, sharp light. Jacob spun around and was quickly on the ground on all fours, ready to attack. But no one was there... Smoke completely engulfed the lawn and the two of them, floating in a thick fog out on the black water. Jacob immediately started coughing while Edward was sniffing the air. Nothing toxic. Just a smell of roses... and smoke.

"Bella, is this your idea of romance?" Jacob coughed, but Edward immediately stared at him:

"It wasn't Bella... There was a scent of a human... But... Now I get nothing" he said and added:

"How did you get the invitation? I think we might have been tricked..."

In the same moment Edward's phone rang... The display showed Bella's number.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

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**

Edward stared at the green light display and looked at Jacob, who was standing there, looking both angry and perplexed in the dark. The smoke had almost dissolved over the lake and Edward was looking around with a frown. Shaking his head as if he was dizzy, Edward picked up the phone:

"Bella?" he asked in a worried tone of voice.

"Edward, hi… I got a D in math somehow, so I'm grounded and…", she started in the other end of the line, before Edward cut her off, having a weird feeling inside which he couldn't quite place.

"Bella, are you at home? Are you safe?" Edward asked and for a moment there was silence over the phone.

"Yeah… I'm… home, I'm fine, is something wrong?" Bella asked in a worried voice. Edward looked at Jacob again, he was also looking around at the lake and forest line as if he was trying to find a reason why he felt odd. Edward swallowed:

"You didn't text me to meet you tonight, did you?" he asked and again the line went silent for a few seconds. Before Bella could answer, Edward immediately continued:

"Lock the doors and stay inside, I will be there in a moment! Don't let anyone in", he said.

"Edward, what's going on…?" Bella began, but again Edward cut her off:

"Please, Bella. Keep safe, I'm on my way," he said and shut the phone. Edward looked at Jacob and the two of them just stared at each other for a moment… Something was off. They both felt it. Edward sniffed the air again, but… it was like there was nothing. He felt dizzy somehow… A weird feeling that he thought he recognized somehow, but couldn't identify.

"I'm going to see Bella," Edward said flatly and turned his back to Jacob, who immediately frowned:

"So am I," he said and started walking up to Edward – but instantly he turned around and pushed his flat hand into Jacob's chest in an angry, sudden outburst… But Jacob barely moved. Shocked and confused Edward stared at his hand on Jacob's hard chest. This blow should have sent the man flying through the air? Jacob was also staring at Edward completely incomprehensive…

"What…?" Edward mumbled as he withdrew his hand and held it up in front of his face. But he almost couldn't see it in the dark? What on earth was going on with his vision now? And what was that weird feeling in his body?

"What's happening to you, man?" Jacob asked in an almost amused voice as his long, black hair was blowing softly in the slight breeze. The blow hadn't even come that fast and it hadn't moved him more than an inch. With a slight grin Jacob studied Edward, who was standing there looking like a big question mark.

"I... I don't know…", Edward said and tried to focus his eyes on Jacob to see him clearly, but everything seemed to be shrouded in shadows. The features were missing, there were only outlines… And it felt like Edward's skin was burning. Shaking his head as if to clear his mind Edward started walking again, ready to sprint:

"I'm going," he just said, but again Jacob followed close by.

"You can't protect her!" he yelled and this time Edward simply turned around with a sigh, looking at his rival:

"You're not the one to decide that. She chose ME, Jacob. Not you," Edward said in a monotone voice, however Jacob shook his head in frustration:

"Are you thick? Or did you just forget that the blow you just handed me should have sent me flying? It DIDN'T!" Jacob said as he stared at Edward, who was now looking around again. Jacob's eyes narrowed… Could this be? No, it was impossible… As the thought dawned on him he stared at Edward:

"Make me angry!" he said. Edward just stared at him:

"Oh, you need an excuse now?" he mocked slightly and turned around to leave again, but this time Jacob grabbed his shoulder, pulling him backwards:

"I'm not kiddi…", he started but trailed off as he stared at Edward. Edward shook himself loose from the grasp and just stared at Jacob:

"DON'T touch me…!" he hissed, but then he fell silent as he saw the look on Jacob's face. He was staring at him in disbelief.

"What..?" Edward asked and raised his eyebrows. Jacob licked his lips as he blinked a few times. This was unreal. Too surrealistic to happen…

"You're… warm…" Jacob said. Then his suspicion had been confirmed… The glow in Edward's eyes had disappeared too. This just couldn't be… Edward stared at him incredulously. That was why he felt like his skin was burning… And he suddenly was able to identify the weird feeling in his body…

"I… I have a heart beat…!" Edward burst out as he finally identified the dizzying feeling of his heart thumping heavily in his chest. In shock the two men stared at each other. Edward then stared at Jacob:

"Bella will never love you, she despises you and she will be happy once you're dead and gone from her life!" Edward suddenly burst out, which instantly made Jacob lunge out at him with a deep roaring snarl. However Edward dodged his attempt to hit him and continued:

"She only wants me! She hates you, Jacob! She hates you like you were a bug under her shoe!" Edward yelled – and this time Jacob's face was a grimace of fury and he bent forwards, beginning his transformation with a snarl as his eyes were locked on Edward… But nothing happened. He was just standing there, wheezing for air.

"You're changed too," Edward then said silently, looking at his rival who was looking at him with a both furious and sad look in his dark eyes. For a few moments the two of them just stood there and Jacob caught his breath and managed to calm back down… surprisingly quickly. He then glanced at Edward:

"We're mortal," he then said under his breath and looked around at the lake and forest line again. Whoever did this did it for a reason…

"You think it's only us?" Edward asked as he seemed to be totally consumed by the feeling and sound of his thumping heart… It was almost hypnotizing. He couldn't believe this. It was… amazing.

"I don't know, I think so… Why else should we be lured here?" Jacob said thoughtfully. And it must have had something to do with the glimpse of light and the smoke from earlier… But what? And more importantly - WHY? Edward blinked a few times:

"Bella! She could be in danger!" he burst out and immediately turned around to start sprinting.

"Wait!" Jacob yelled and Edward turned around:

"What?" he asked, a little annoyed with his rival.

"We have to tell her," Jacob said, and Edward looked at him for a moment…

"We can't protect her! We're weak! We're mortals, just like her!" Jacob continued as he felt Edward's hesitation. This was the worst dilemma he had experienced in a long, long time… How he had dreamed of this, how he had dreamed of becoming human and share a normal, human life with Bella…

"We can't tell her," Edward then said, which made Jacob stare at him in disbelief.

"It will shatter her dreams… her life…" Edward said. Not only would Bella's dreams of an immortal life be shattered…. But so would the wedding… and the risk of her then choosing Jacob was too great. But he couldn't say that. Jacob tensed up and his mouth dropped open a little:

"We can't lie to her, that's so low, I can't even…!" Jacob began, but Edward cut him off resolutely:

"Listen, if you tell her I WILL kill you…!" he hissed and continued:

"I can still go for what I was… by looks, I am still pale… But she can't… touch me…" Edward trailed off. Jacob was just looking at him, in awe of this man's stupidity.

"I can't believe you… and I don't care if you kill me, she deserves the truth! For once!" Jacob said and Edward bit his lip:

"Just… wait for twenty-four hours. We need to find out what caused this. For Bella's sake, and for our own. Maybe we can turn all this around. If the twenty-four hours expire, I will tell her" Edward then said. Jacob sighed and crossed his muscular arms… Edward was right. If this could all go back to normal, Bella not knowing would be the best… for her. And save her a lot of heart ache. He couldn't hurt her, not if it wasn't completely and absolutely necessary:

"Okay… You have a point. But only twenty-four hours. And I get to tell her" he said. Edward was about to protest when Jacob simply said:

"That's my condition," he said flatly and stared at Edward who finally nodded.

"Twenty-four hours then…" Edward said and started running in the direction of Bella's house. This time he didn't protest when Jacob followed. They couldn't afford a fight now… It would cost time and maybe even Bella's life. They had to find out what was going on and why.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

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Bella sat on her bed as Edward hung up the phone, totally incomprehensive and scared. What was going on? She certainly hadn't asked Edward to meet her… She hadn't had the time. But then who had asked him for her?

"Oh no…" she said under her breath. It couldn't be Charlie, could it? She knew how much he hated Edward… But he wouldn't do such a thing. No, he would never… Or would he? Bella's mind began spinning. What if Charlie wanted to give Edward a lesson or try to talk him out of dating her? Swallowing Bella shot up from her bed and hurried down the stairs, almost tripping on the steps. Running through the kitchen she opened the door to Charlie's small room that he had recently added to the house. There, under a blanket he was, vast asleep.

"Dad…?" Bella said and he let out a mumble that she couldn't decipher. She hesitated a bit. He really was asleep… No, no – this was ridiculous. She was getting paranoid, it was probably just some glitch in the system somewhere, a misunderstanding that had led Edward to believe that she had asked him to meet her. Silently Bella backed out of the room and carefully closed the door. She couldn't believe that she had actually suspected Charlie of something like this.  
The house was completely dark except from her bedroom upstairs… Bella didn't know if she dared turn on the lights on not. Maybe something really was going on, like Edward said. Or maybe it was just a misunderstanding. But everything seemed to breathe peace and quiet around here. Besides, Edward had a habit of being a little over-protective, Bella thought. Biting her lips she tiptoed to the front door and put her hand on the handle. Wait, the door wasn't locked? Oh, she had probably just forgot… as she often did. Waiting for a few moments, Bella thought about what Edward had said. But curiously she turned the handle and the front door slowly creaked a little open. A gush of cold and moist air hit her face and she took in a deep breath. Scanning the surroundings she quickly determined that there was no one here… only her red truck. With a sigh she opened the door all the way and stepped out on the concrete step, but something made a noise under her shoe. With a little shriek she jumped backwards and stared down at her feet.

"Oh…!" she burst out as she made out the package with the ribbons by her feet. It was a long, rectangular box wrapped in pink paper. A gift? Carefully she bent down and lifted up the box, careful not to shake it or drop it. Maybe she shouldn't… Narrowing her eyes in the dark she tried to find a tag of some sort or a letter. Anything to find out who it might be from… But there was nothing, not even a scribbled return address. But no stamps either… someone had placed it there not long ago. Curiously Bella let her fingers slide down the smooth pink paper – it was probably from Mike. He always stared at her in this weird way. Or maybe Jacob? She had no idea… It almost had to be a secret admirer. Standing there on the step for a while with the box in her hands, Bella was still looking around. But nothing was there. Just darkness and quiet.

"Why not…" Bella mumbled and removed the yellow ribbons from the parcel. Carefully she peeled off the pink gift wrap and in her hands were a white cardboard box. Hesitating for a few seconds she looked at it – still no indication of who might have left it here. Tilting her head a bit, she stuck her fingernail under the lid of the box and opened it. With a loud scream she immediately dropped the box – it seemed to fall in slow motion towards her feet and then land with a thud on the wet concrete step. She quickly jumped backwards, as the two small snakes made their way out of the box and out on the road… Bella's hand covered her mouth in shock as she stared at the dead and black painted roses which had fallen out of the box.

"Bella!" voices somewhere in front of her and behind her suddenly burst out and she jumped with another loud scream, spun around on her heel to run, but smashed right into Charlie's chest. With a gasp she looked up at him and then turned her head in the direction of where the other voices had come from.

"Bella, what on earth is going on?" Charlie asked, almost out of breath as he stood there in his t-shirt and boxers with a grasp around Bella's upper arm, just staring at her worryingly. Bella stared feverishly out in the night. And out from the shadows came Jacob closely followed by Edward… As they saw Charlie they both stopped a few feet away from the door step.

"Bella, are you alright?" Edward immediately asked, but didn't come any closer. Bella looked at the two of them with a frightened stare:

"Snakes… There were snakes…!" she gasped and the three men followed her glance to the door step where the black and dead roses were still lying.

"Oh my god…" Jacob said and looked at Bella, who was now hugging her dad. Charlie immediately gently shoved Bella behind him in the hallway and knelt down, looking closely at the roses. Edward was about to protest, but stopped himself knowing that it was to no avail. After all, Charlie was the police in Forks.

"Are you guys behind this? This is a sick joke!" Charlie said angrily as his eyes pierced Edward, who was still standing a little behind Jacob. Bella immediately tried to squeeze past Charlie, but he wouldn't let her:

"Stay inside, Bella!" he simply ordered as he was still staring at the two men in front of him. Edward immediately held up his hands:

"I swear, we have nothing to do with it, sir…" he started, but Charlie interrupted him, almost yelling:

"Sure looks like you do! Perfect timing, guys!" he hissed, but this time Bella butted in:

"It's not them, dad!" she yelled and looked at Edward from behind Charlie. He looked stunning, as usual. Bella could feel her heart thumping loudly just by the sight of him. Edward stepped forwards a bit and looked at Charlie:

"Sir, I am more than willing to give you my fingerprints, but I swear…" he started, and again Charlie cut him off:

"I'll have BOTH of your finger prints! Not that I think you would do such a thing, Jake," he said. Edward let out a little sigh – it was obvious who the favorite was.

"Charlie, stop! Just… stop!" Bella yelled from behind him and this time she managed to squeeze past him to go and give Edward a hug, but quickly her arm was grabbed again by her dad:

"And WHAT were you doing outside? I thought I told you you were grounded!" Charlie said and looked at Bella, clearly awaiting an answer. Bella shifted her weight from one foot to another for a moment.

"I thought I heard a knock on the door," she lied and this time Edward was the one who raised an eyebrow:

"I told you to stay sa…!" he began, but trailed off. Bella bit her lower lip:

"I'm sorry!" she said as she fought against the tears of frustration.

"Stay safe…? What the hell is going on here?" Charlie burst out as he stared from Bella to Edward. Silence fell. The night seemed to grow darker and more eerie as the seconds went by.

"Edward just worried about the bear, one of the girls at school said that she heard something outside last night," Jacob suddenly said and Edward hurried to nod. Bella narrowed her eyes a little… This was very confusing. Edward and Jacob weren't exactly best mates, yet here they were side by side – and Jacob was defending Edward. What the…? Something was off. But she couldn't ask them now. Charlie was looking suspiciously at the two of them… But then nodded:

"Good. Good to hear that you care. But then who sent the dead flowers?" Charlie asked and again silence fell. Charlie clicked his tongue:

"Okay then. First thing tomorrow morning both of you will be at the station. And you will leave us now. Bella needs to study," Charlie said and then pulled Bella with him into the hallway and shut the door. Behind the door Bella's protests could be heard, but Charlie wouldn't budge. Edward and Jacob looked at each other – what to do now? They couldn't leave… Jacob nodded for Edward to follow him and they started walking off – or so it looked like from Charlie's point of view through the kitchen window.  
Carefully Jacob and Edward walked down the road, but as soon as the dark engulfed them, they turned and went into the backyard, hiding behind a tree and some bushes. Edward sighed as they squatted down in front of each other. There was silence for about twenty seconds before Edward finally looked at Jacob:

"Thanks," he said shortly and then turned his head to look at the house. Jacob nodded slightly in the darkness:

"It was for Bella, not for you," he just said and again there was silence. Each of their minds were spinning like crazy. Who would do this? And who had texted Edward from Bella's phone if not Bella? And who had left that note at Billy's and Jacob's front door unseen? Who was behind all of this and why? Edward and Jacob had both been stripped of their powers… But to what use? So far all that had happened were a box of dead flowers. And snakes. But it wasn't very promising.  
Edward pulled out his phone and was careful to hide the green light display as he texted Carlisle. In the message it said:

_"NEED TO SEE YOU. CAN'T NOW. DANGER. SOMETHING IN TOWN. BEWARE"_

He then shut his phone down. It would be too risky to have it on if someone should call or text him – it might blow his cover… THEIR cover. Edward felt weird. Like there was a buzzing feeling in his head and body. He was still mesmerized by the fact that he now had a heart beat… it was… soothing. Then he realized why he felt odd: He was tired. He was sleepy. He was... human.  
He also noticed a sound next to him… It was Jacob. His teeth clattering. He was cold… As usual he was only wearing a thin t-shirt, which definitely wasn't enough to keep him warm on a night like this. Only usually he was almost steaming with warmth.

"We'll leave as soon as Charlie is ready to drive to the station and Bella is at school. We have… to show up… for fingerprints…" Jacob stuttered as he struggled to fight the cold. He couldn't help his muscles contracting uncontrollably and goose bumps covered his skin.  
This was the world upside down.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

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Bella was sitting on her bed, deep in thoughts and with dried tears on her cheeks. Charlie had taken away her phone, so she couldn't call Edward… or anyone else. Why was he so harsh on Edward? And her for that matter? The wedding wasn't very far away, but was she kidding herself that her father would actually walk her down the aisle…? Would he ever accept him? She was starting to doubt it. To doubt that Charlie would ever allow her to follow her heart. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't. And now she felt all alone and isolated. Downstairs Charlie was boxing all of the evidence regarding the mysterious box with the dead roses… he would probably dust it for fingerprints. But Bella couldn't imagine that it could be Edward… or Jacob for that matter. Or Mike.  
With a sigh she decided to read and got up from the bed to her dresser to find the book about the cold ones and the wolves. It was always interesting… Almost mesmerizing to read. It was like a fairytale – only true. Maybe she could relax a little if she just dove into a book…. She opened the drawer and fumbled for the thick book, which was on the bottom. Carefully she pulled it out and dropped herself onto the bed on her stomach to read. She frowned a bit as she noticed that one of the pages was dog-eared… Had she done that? Mm, maybe she had wanted to remember something. Curiously she opened the book on the marked page. Her eyes grew wide as she stared directly at a yellow post-it stuck on the marked page.  
It read:

**_Withered flowers  
Hearts in decay  
Love isn't ours  
Blood you must pay_**

"Oh my god…!" Bella burst out as she quickly read the lines.

"Edward?" she said under her breath as she let a finger trail down the yellow piece of paper. This couldn't be. She looked closely at the writing… It looked exactly like his… exactly. A gust of wind hit the window, making it shriek – and she jumped up, staring at the darkness outside. Swallowing she opened the drawer and threw the book and the note back in there. She couldn't tell Charlie about this. This had to be a misunderstanding of some sort. Edward would never do this… Yet he HAD had a weird look in his eyes tonight… Like he was different somehow. But it was probably all just in her imagination. It had to be. With a deep sigh she sat back down on the bed silently. She definitely couldn't sleep now… Not with all of this on her mind. Although most of her nightmares HAD stopped after Jacob gave her that dream catcher. Smiling she turned her head to the side to look at it… it wasn't there? Quickly she got back up from the bed and walked to the head board where it usually was tied to one of the carefully shaped metal rods. Where was it? Had someone been in here? Nervously Bella looked around, but nothing seemed to be out of place… Maybe it had just fallen down?

"Oh!" Bella burst out as she noticed some of the brown ring of the dream catcher sticking up from the edge of the mattress. Carefully she grabbed it between two fingers and pulled it up – but there was only half of it? Someone had broken it! The otherwise so fine threads which formed the webs were torn and the rest of the ring was missing. Anger flushed Bella's cheeks with red. WHO had been in here? Frustrated and with tears welling up in her eyes she burst out a 'NO' as she grabbed a hold of the mattress and flipped it over – the other half had to be there! But it wasn't… instead there was a little piece of paper with torn edges.

"No…" Bella said under her breath, but anyway she picked it up and turned it, looking at the this time much sloppier handwriting. It read:

**_A broken heart  
Ripped at the seams  
This is the start  
Of haunted dreams_**

A little gasp escaped her. Would Jacob really do such a thing? She might have broken his heart… but he couldn't do this… It wasn't… it couldn't be him… Biting her lip she reflected on the night's events. Everything was so weird and surrealistic. Nothing seemed to be real anymore. How she wished that she had Alice to talk to… But she was on some remote little island in Fiji somewhere. Said she needed a vacation. With a frustrated sigh Bella threw the note down in the same drawer where she had put the book and the note from Edward. Wait, no… It just couldn't be them. Yet still… Why were they suddenly together tonight? Usually they were eager to tear each other apart? And now suddenly they were best friends? A chill ran down Bella's spine… She had to talk to someone. She couldn't talk to Alice, and she couldn't talk to Charlie… and she couldn't talk to Edward or Jacob either.

"Carlisle…" she mumbled as she looked out the window into the night. She would have to walk through the deep forest in order to reach their house. It wasn't safe… But it wasn't safe to stay here either. That was for sure. And she felt like she was going crazy. She had to know what was going on. Determined she silently opened the window. It was a long way down… But luckily the thick branches of a tree in the backyard reached the window. Carefully she stretched out her arm and grabbed a hold of a higher branch… Then she lunged forwards, grabbing the branch with her other hand and swung herself onto the thick branch going out from the big tree. With a muffled shriek she almost lost her balance and ended up sitting on the branch, hugging the stem of the tree. With a gasp she realized that she had actually made it without falling to the ground some feet below. Carefully she maneuvered herself downwards, holding on to the tree… digging the rubber soles of her shoes into the uneven bark. However her feet slid and she suddenly lost her grip on the branch – determined not to scream and reveal her location she fell towards the ground… And to her amazement she managed to land on her feet and do a forward roll, landing on her stomach in the leaves on the wet lawn. For a few seconds she just stayed there, trying to comprehend that she hadn't hurt herself. Then, with a small sigh, she got up and stared shortly at the dimly lit living room through the window. No sign of Charlie – he was probably in the kitchen. She better get going, she thought. As silently as she could she started tiptoeing away from the house and further into the backyard, constantly looking over her shoulder.

"Bella!" two recognizable voices suddenly said somewhere in front of her, to the right. A gasp escaped her as she tried to focus in the dark… All she could see was the outlines of a tree and some shrubbery. Then she could hear leaves crumbling and footsteps – and in the almost non-existing light two faces appeared – it was Edward and Jacob! Her heart started racing uncontrollably as she stood there, frozen.

"Bella, what are you doing?" Edward asked as he took a step closer, his face becoming a little clearer.

"You have to stay inside!" Jacob said and also stepped forwards, now standing next to Edward. Bella blinked in disbelief…

"Just… don't come any closer…!" she managed to say and watched as the two of them immediately froze in their tracks. Edward's eyebrows rose in confusion and Jacob narrowed his eyes a bit.

"What's going on?" Bella demanded, looking from one to another. Both of them suddenly seemed to find the ground very interesting… there was no answer at first, only silence.

"We don't… know" Edward just said and looked at her, almost shyly as if he was afraid of something.

"You have to go back inside, Bella," Jacob said and stepped closer. Bella immediately stepped backwards, away from him:

"No…!" she gasped, holding out her flat hand towards them, warning them not to come closer. The two men looked at each other almost puzzled. Why were they even looking at each other?

"Why aren't you fighting?" Bella asked with the fear rising in her stomach, making it turn. Again the two men looked at each other.

"You want us to?" Jacob asked, trying to avoid the seriousness of the situation, even though he knew that it was to no avail at the moment. Bella shook her head in fear and started to walk backwards, backing away.

"You were in my room!" she burst out, looking at them. Again they seemed to put on confused expressions.

"Yeah, I've been there many times," both of them said simultaneously. Their answer made Bella's heart sink and beat at the speed of a hummingbird's wings. This was… This was horrible, this was unbelievable. Carefully she stuck a hand in her pocket… luckily she hadn't forgotten her car keys… she always had them on her. She had no choice now. She had to get away… away from this. She had to see Carlisle… But… Both of them could easily stop her.

"Okay… I'll… go inside now," Bella said and swallowed. Smiles appeared on their lips:

"Good," they both said. As if they were some sort of mechanical dolls, she thought. Backing away she put on a fake smile:

"Yeah… uhm, take care…" she said and kept moving backwards. Why wasn't Edward trying to hug or kiss her? He usually loved to do that… especially in front of Jacob. But it seemed he had no intention of doing so. In a way she was happy about that right now… Yet still she had never felt more heartbroken or scared.

"Stay safe, Bella," Jacob said and the words from the note seemed to repeat themselves in Bella's head.

"I will," she lied and now the light from the living room hit her back. She was back by the tree. They had followed her a little, but they didn't dare enter the light.

"I'll… take the easy way in… Goodnight," she said and finally turned her back to them and walked out on the road towards the front door. They didn't follow and the corner of the house blocked the view… she couldn't see them anymore. That meant that THEY couldn't see HER either. Tiptoeing quickly down the road she opened the door to her truck silently… she obviously had forgotten to lock it. Closing the door without a sound she stuck the key in the ignition. She had to hurry, Edward had probably heard her. Determined and scared beyond belief she turned the key hard and pressed her foot down on the gas, immediately changing gear. The car almost flew down the road with a loud, growling roar and Bella let out a gasp, staring in the rear view mirror. Edward and a sprinting wolf would soon be on her tail… She almost couldn't see where she was going, she was too busy looking in the mirror – and there they were! But what the hell… They just stood there in the middle of the road, arms out to the sides as if they didn't even bother to stop her. They could easily! Why weren't they chasing her? Maybe because it was all true… they really did hate her… for some reason that she would never understand… The distance between her and the house and them grew bigger and bigger and just before she turned a long ninety-degree turn she could see Charlie storming out on the road as well. Swallowing hard Bella pressed harder on the gas. She just had to get to Carlisle before they did… And she prayed that they wouldn't hurt Charlie. If they did… it was all her fault.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

**

* * *

**

As Edward and Jacob stood there, helplessly watching as Bella drove away full throttle, they looked at each other panicky. They couldn't catch up to her, that was impossible. Where was she going in such a hurry? And why had she been so weird when they met her in the garden? Obviously she couldn't understand why they suddenly weren't trying to tear each other's throats out… But there had been something more than that. She had just acted weird… Like they were aliens or something. Maybe she knew their secret?  
As Bella's truck disappeared around the corner the front door was suddenly torn open and Charlie sprinted out on the road in front of them – this time he was dressed though.

"Bella!" he yelled from the top of his lungs, immediately spinning around facing the two men still standing there:

"What have you done to her?" Charlie hissed with a furious look on his face as he fumbled for his car keys in the pocket of his jeans. Edward was just staring at the fading red light from the truck's rear lights as they were engulfed by the black darkness of the forest.

"Nothing, she acted all weird and took off!" Jacob said, also staring in the same direction as Edward. Bella's father pierced them with his brown eyes as he stuck the key in the lock to his car door and opened it with a force that wasn't at all necessary to open a car door. Out from the passenger seat of the police car he pulled a shotgun, which suddenly was aimed at Edward and Jacob…

"I swear to God, that if my little girl gets hurt tonight, I WILL kill both of you!" he hissed at the two of them, who immediately raised their hands into the air. Edward paled even more and Jacob's goose bumps seemed to spread all the way down his spine.

"Mr Swan, please, we only want to help your dau…" Jacob started, but Charlie cut him off:

"Get in the car!" he ordered, waving the shotgun a little to the side, pointing towards the vehicle. He didn't trust Edward, never had… But now he was beginning to doubt his faith in Jacob as well. Something was wrong and his guts told him that these two were in the center of it somehow.

"What?" Edward said, snapping back to reality, just staring perplexed at Charlie… But apparently he was dead-serious. Jacob and Edward looked at each other as if they were trying to comprehend what was going on and how it had all happened so fast.

"IN THE CAR!" Charlie roared and now they knew that they didn't have a choice but to follow orders. Edward couldn't help but think about how he just four or so hours ago could have just dodged a bullet… And Jacob thought how easily he could have just escaped or torn the shotgun away from Charlie. But now they were mortals, weak and unprotected…  
Still with their hands in the air both of them walked to the car and Edward was about to get in, when Charlie put a hand on his shoulder:

"Lean against the hood! You too, Jacob!" he said and frowning both of them did as they were told. If they got hurt because of a dispute now, then Bella would be in a lot of trouble. They had to go with it. Leaning forwards against the hood of the police car, Charlie quickly searched them – all he found was Edward's shut down phone. Looking down on the smooth surface of the car's hood Edward and Jacob were told to stand still. Behind them they could hear a little rummaging about and nervousness started to rumble in their minds. Had Charlie gone mad? Was his intention to take them into the forest and… Suddenly a quick series of 'clicks' were heard and to their surprise Jacob and Edward realized that their hands had been cuffed behind their backs. Apparently Charlie was NOT taking any chances. Quickly Charlie helped them – a little roughly – into the backseat of the car and got in the driver's seat. Immediately he turned the key and rumbled off down the road in the same direction as Bella. Edward and Jacob sent each other a short, nervous glance behind the bulletproof glass which separated them from Charlie... Then he turned on the siren.

* * *

Bella had made it almost halfway to Carlisle's house and constantly she was looking at the rear view mirror, double-checking that no one was following her. She had never been so confused and scared in her entire life. She just couldn't match the pieces of this puzzle, yet still she knew what she had found in her room. Not to mention the incident in the backyard. Her thoughts were almost making her head explode, or so it felt like, as she speeded through the woods along the dark, narrow road. Without even realizing it she was hyperventilating, constantly shifting her focus from the road to the mirror. With the gas pedal pressed completely down she turned another long curve on the road, driving up a long hill with shrieking tires. Before she knew it she was on the top of the hill and began the quick descend towards another curve in the distance. Instinctively she lifted her foot from the gas and pressed slightly on the brake… But nothing happened. Her speed was the same? Panicky she stepped on the brake… no effect.

"Oh my god…!" she burst out as her heart rate escalated violently, almost making her vision blur. Repeatedly she stepped on the brake, but it refused to work. The curve, which had been in the distance before, came closer and closer at a horrifying speed. She had no chance of making it, not all the way around… She didn't touch the gas pedal, but downhill the car had only slowed down a little bit. The long road curve was surrounded by ditches and forest on each side along with signs with big, fat arrows on it. It came closer. And closer. Too fast. But there was no going back. Bella grabbed a hold of the wheel so hard that her knuckles turned white and then she turned. The car's rear end started to skid to the left as she hit the right turn – and she pulled at the wheel with all of her strength… But the signs, the low ditch and the trees came closer and closer. It all happened in slow motion in Bella's mind and pictures of notes, broken dream catchers and Edward's and Jacob's faces flashed before her eyes. She thought of Charlie… Oh god, what had she done? The tires' shrieking became ear-deafening and the car was now almost sideways or the road, skidding diagonally across the road bend – Bella closed her eyes and ducked slightly as the left front wheel made it into the ditch. Why wasn't Edward saving her? With a terrified scream Bella grabbed an even stronger hold of the wheel as the car hit a sign and broke it into a thousand pieces. The car continued down in the low ditch, dirt and grass flying everywhere – and then it hit a broad tree with a loud, metallic sound. A lightning bolt of pain exploded in Bella's left thigh… and then everything went silent except for the humming of the engine. Silence… Darkness… Bella fought hard to open her eyes… She was breathing, she could feel it. Or was she? Panting she slowly and carefully forced herself to open her eyes… she was in the car… in the ditch… and alive. She was alive! With a gasp she felt her forehead – blood was trickling down from just under the hairline, where her head had hit the wheel. And her thigh hurt like crazy. She looked down and saw how the left side of the car was smashed inwards… a big dent in the metal had hit her thigh, but at least she wasn't stuck in here. Heaving for air and dizzy from the adrenaline she opened the passenger door and managed to climb out… she fell from the seat and into the ditch with a loud gasp.

"Auuw…" she panted as she got up on all fours and got to her feet. Limping she walked slowly to the road side… she thought she could hear something? In the same moment blinking lights could be seen in the distance, around the bend where she had come from. And the sound of a siren. The police! She hoped that they would reach her in time… Before Edward and Jacob showed up. She wondered why they hadn't yet… Dizzy she looked down at the asphalt where the many pieces of the shattered sign were lying, spread over an area of a few yards. The lights came closer… blinking and blinking. She couldn't believe that she was still here… standing. Alive. The sound of the siren got stronger and stronger and with smoking tires the police car came to a hold close to her. Bella blinked her eyes a few times… her heart was beating so hard and her lungs seemed like they couldn't get enough air. The door to the police car opened.

"Bella! Thank god, you're alright!" Charlie's voice said and before she knew it she was in his arms as he hugged her tight.

"Dad…?" Bella said disoriented and in disbelief.

"Honey, you're bleeding…! What is going on?" Charlie said as he guided her to the car, so she could lean against it.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry!" Bella said and finally she burst into tears as she buried her face in her father's embrace. She could hear Charlie's fast heartbeat and she cursed herself for putting him in a situation like this.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Charlie said, still holding on to Bella gently. He had never felt this frustrated or scared before… Bella didn't look up, but was still hugging him tight:

"My brakes didn't work…!" she sobbed into his chest. Charlie's eyebrows shot up:

"But Jacob just installed new ones…", he started, but then fell silent. What on earth was happening? Quickly Charlie grabbed his phone with one hand and dialed one of his colleagues' number. He asked for a patrol car to get down there fast and secure the area… and most important of all – check the brakes.

"Oh, sweetheart… Where were you going in such a rush…" Charlie almost whispered as he hugged her. He could feel the stinging of salty tears trying to make their way down his cheeks. Bella didn't answer, but just hugged him tighter.

"Come… we're going to the station," Charlie said comfortingly and led her to the passenger side of the car. Bella wiped her cheeks with her sleeve… the station. 'That sounds nice', she thought. That would be the safest place to be. For now anyway.  
Charlie opened the door and Bella looked in – just to stare directly at Edward and Jacob sitting in the back. With a shriek she jumped a little and almost lost her balance as she accidently supported herself on the injured leg – Charlie was quick to catch her:

"What is it, Bella, what's going on?" he asked concerned and looked at her with this sad look in his eyes that broke her heart. She couldn't tell him… she couldn't. Not yet. What IF she was wrong? What if this all was a misunderstanding? But the notes… How they acted… how HE acted… Carefully she looked at Edward again. He looked… different. Somehow different.

"Bella, what is happening…?" Jacob began, but Charlie cut him off:

"I said, be quiet!" he snapped and looked at his daughter again:

"Bella, you have to tell me what it is that scares you so much…" Charlie said as he cupped Bella's cheeks with his hands and looked her in the eyes. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly… How could she lie to him? How could she lie? Withholding some of the truth wasn't lying, was it? Charlie looked at her… time seemed to stand still… She had to answer him. This time silence wasn't tolerated.

"I… I think they were in my room…," she said, trailing off. She couldn't get herself to say any more. Charlie's eyes grew wide as he stared at Edward and Jacob in the back of the car through the bulletproof glass. Charlie's face has turned pale and he did his best to remain his cool:

"We'll talk at the station…", Charlie just said as he guided Bella into the passenger seat, and then he added:

"Don't worry. It's bulletproof, they can't touch you," he said. But Bella knew otherwise.


	6. Chapter 6

**_CLASH OF REALITY_**

CHAPTER 6

* * *

Finally after a long, silent ride in the patrol car they reached the station in the center of Forks. No one had spoken or said as much as a word. Bella had noticed how Charlie's knuckles were all white as he was clenching the wheel while he drove. Just as they had left the crash site, another patrol car had pulled up to secure the place and the possible evidence. She was completely confused - as her father had said, Jacob had just installed new brakes... his craftsmanship NEVER failed. Until now apparently. Bella could feel Jacob's and Edward's stares pierce her neck through the bulletproof glass...  
As the car stopped Charlie quickly got out and hurried to the passenger side where he opened the door and helped Bella out of the seat. Her leg hurt like crazy, but it probably wasn't broken - at least that was what she hoped.

"Wait here, honey," Charlie said as she leaned against the car while he opened the back door to the patrol car.

"You two, get out..." Charlie just said in a flat, somehow tired, tone of voice. Jacob was the first to edge himself out of the seat - it wasn't easy with cuffs on. Edward then followed and Bella tried avoiding to look at him. There was just something wrong... It creeped her out and she felt like she couldn't face either of them. Instead she stared in the other direction, but she had them in the corner of her eye - what if they hurt Charlie?

"Let's go," Charlie said as he nodded his head towards the door to the station and grabbed a soft, yet firm, hold of Bella's arm. Jacob and Edward started walking across the parking lot and a colleague opened the door for them.  
Once inside Edward and Jacob were placed on two chairs in front of Charlie's desk while Bella carefully sat down behind it with her father. For a moment there was silence. Both Edward and Jacob were just staring at the table plate as if it was the most interesting thing in here. Charlie cleared his throat:

"The fingerprints from the gift box is being run through the database as we speak... Anything you want to say?" he asked and looked at the two men in front of him. They both looked a bit scared. Charlie kind of liked that.

"No? Well, then explain to me what you were doing at my property in the middle of the night?" he then asked and they both seemed to finally look up from the table plate, but just barely. Edward bit his lip:

"We were there to protect your daughter, sir," he said and finally gained a bit of eye contact with Charlie, who just seemed rather unimpressed. Folding his hands on the table plate he just stared at Edward:

"And since when could the two of you stand each other?" he asked. Bella's eyes grew a bit wider as she was watching from the sideline... Her dad had picked up on a lot of things apparently. And she wanted to hear the answer to his question too. Edward and Jacob seemed to become insecure, rattling with the handcuffs and shuffling their feet. Finally Jacob looked up, but not at Charlie - he was looking at Bella:

"We can't. But sometimes you have to team up to protect someone," he said and kept staring at Bella. She could feel the small hairs in the back of her neck stand up. He seemed different too somehow. She just couldn't place it at all. Was she losing her mind?

"Protect who from what?" Charlie asked and Edward looked at him, it was as if he didn't dare look at Bella... or if she just wasn't even there. She swallowed.

"We think Bella is in danger, sir," Edward said and Bella could see Charlie's jaw muscles clenching.

"Oh really? So you decide to scare the shit out of her so she almost goes off killing herself! Nice work, gentlemen, nice work!" Charlie spat sarcastically. He had had enough of their vague answers. His daughter was sitting here in pain and terror and all these guys seemed to do was throw him small bones and make it even worse - for him, Bella AND themselves.

"Let's see what happens when the prints are analyzed along with the brakes!" Charlie said and nodded at a colleague as he placed a cup of fresh coffee on Charlie's desk. He sure looked like he needed it. Slowly Charlie then leaned over, looking at Edward and Jacob:

"This looks bad, guys. Really bad. You know how long the sentence for attempted murder is?" he threatened and took a sip of his coffee. And he had also noticed how Bella for once wasn't defending Edward. This meant something. What was going on and what had that bastard done to her? Not to mention Jacob, who had installed the brakes. Piercing them with his stare Charlie took another sip of the coffee:

"So what were you guys doing in her room?" he asked. This time it was Edward who had had enough of Charlie's threats and accusations. Almost shooting up from the chair he stared at him:

"WE ARE INNOCENT! I would never hurt Bella, I would protect her with my life! And so would Jacob! And..." Edward burst out, but quickly he was pressed back down in the chair by a colleague who immediately had rushed over.

"Get your hands off me!" Edward spat, but stayed in the chair.

"THAT's enough, Cullen!" Charlie hissed as he opened a drawer and grabbed the ink pads used for fingerprinting. A match from the box would be found soon on the computer and he needed the boys' prints of matching. Calling one of his colleagues Charlie had first Jacob uncuffed and asked him to reach over his hand. Reluctantly Jacob did so. Bella was still watching silently and she wondered if Charlie would notice the burning heat from Jacob's fingers. But there was no reaction. Jacob was cuffed again and then it was Edward's turn. Bella stared anxiously as Edward slowly reached over his hand... and Charlie grabbed it. Took his prints... No reaction? Charlie had to be more stressed out than Bella thought. Edward was always cold as ice...

"BLING!" - the computer made a loud sound and Bella jumped in her seat. As she did so she noticed that it was dawning outside. 'Oh my god', she thought to herself... This window faced the East. That meant that the morning sun's rays would fall on Jacob and Edward. Edward would be exposed to sunlight... and his glittering skin would give away his true nature...

"The fingerprints from the box are unknown... mmmm, what a surprise, I wonder if it fits any of you then?" Charlie said as he got up from his chair and put the paper with their prints in the scanner. Quickly they popped up on the screen and the computer analysis began. Bella bit her lip. What would happen if they really matched? Nervously she looked out of the window - the black sky was turning a slight shade of orange. She had to do something... Edward was starting to look nervous too.

"Almost there," Charlie said as the analysis hit ninety percent. At the same time a colleague walked over to the desk and handed Charlie a big paper folder:

"From the crash site, sir," the overweight man said and walked off. Charlie opened the folder and looked through the papers... at the same time the computer made a loud, electronic noise again and everyone's attention was directed at the big plasma screen which was blinking the letters:

**NO MATCH**

Charlie's jaw seemed to drop. Almost feverishly he tore at the papers in the folder to find what he was looking for - there, the prints from the brakes - which HAD been slit. Quickly and without a word Charlie fed the computer the prints from the crash site. Turning his hands into fists he sat back down in his chair and this time HE was the one staring at the table plate. Bella closed her eyes for a second. Thank god! But the notes in her room... it had been Jacob's and Edward's handwriting, she was sure of it...! But she had been pretty much sure about so many things. She couldn't stop herself anymore:

"Did you leave notes in my room?" Bella asked and everyone seemed to freeze just by her finally talking. Edward and Jacob just stared at her perplexed:

"Uhm... no..." they both said.

"STOP TALKING IN UNISON!" Bella almost yelled and got up from her chair, forgetting how bad her leg hurt. With a shriek she fell to the side as her leg gave in under her weight and Edward and Jacob tried to get up from their chairs, but the cuffs stopped them - instead Charlie managed to grab her before she hit the floor. Again the computer suddenly made a noise and everyone besides the panting Bella looked at the screen:

**MATCH FOUND**

But it wasn't matching Jacob or Edward, it was the unknown fingerprint it matched. The one from the box. Carefully Charlie sat Bella back on her chair:

"We'll go have you checked out in the emergency room in a few, darling," he said and then forced himself to look at Edward and Jacob:

"I... I don't know what to say, guys. I... overreacted and I am truly sorry... My deepest apologies, I..." Charlie said and Edward thought he saw the man's cheeks flush with red from embarrassment. Jacob and Edward nodded in accept. How could they blame him?

"Jeffrey! Please uncuff them," Charlie said and a colleague rushed over with the keys, freeing their hands from behind their backs. Bella looked at the sky again - it was turning brighter now... her stomach seemed to turn:

"Dad, please... can you let them go now? Please, I need to go to the hospital," she half-lied and looked pleadingly at Charlie.

"Sure, of course... Yes, you are free to go. But we are NOT done talking," Charlie said and looked at the two guys in front of him who slowly got up from their chairs. Edward looked at Charlie:

"A message was sent from Bella's phone... but it wasn't from Bella. I think the phone should be checked," he said and Charlie's eyebrows shot up:

"Will do... thanks. I'll check the outbox on the phone too," he said and continued:

"Lots of work to do... Say, while I'm at the station, will you do me the honor of watching Bella? Take her to the hospital? I have to crack this... If it's okay with you?" Charlie asked and looked at his daughter. She hesitated for a second... But then nodded.

"Okay, off you go. But be careful. Stay indoors!" Charlie said as he helped Bella up from the chair, hugging her carefully:

"Take my car... just don't play with the lights and go straight home after the hospital!" he whispered in her ear. She nodded and hugged him back. Quickly Charlie threw the keys at Edward, who - almost clumsily - caught them. Bella didn't notice.  
Helping her out the door Jacob headed for the car following Edward and everyone seemed to be looking at the horizon... it was getting bright yellow. Unlocking the car Edward turned around to look at Bella and Jacob:

"Please take her to the hospital. I'll be waiting," Edward said and looked at Bella. She nodded, yet still she couldn't understand what was so different about him. Other than the fact that he wasn't kissing or hugging her. Was he breaking up with her? Swallowing she let Jacob help her into the car... Edward just stood there, it felt like his now beating heart was about to break. As they drove off and rounded a corner, the sun broke through from the horizon and bathed Edward in its orange rays... His skin wasn't shimmering. They had until tonight to get their immortality back... But was it worth it? Edward closed his eyes and felt the mesmerizing beat of his heart... Yes... Bella was worth everything.


	7. Chapter 7

_**CLASH OF REALITY**_

CHAPTER 7

* * *

Edward walked along the ditch on the way to Carlisle's house, deep in thoughts. He had to ask his father for help, some way to crack this. But... How would his family look at him now when he wasn't a part of their world anymore? Would it be as different as it felt? Closing his eyes slightly he couldn't help but be mezmerized again and again by the thumping of his beating heart. The blood flowing in his veins. The warmth. This was both fantastic and horrible at the same time... The weakness that followed his sudden mortality was a dangerous thing. Up ahead was Bella's house and as he got closer he stared at the flower beds which formed a line between the road and the backyard. Small, yellow flowers were breaking free from the dark soil and spread out their petals in the morning sun... Edward realized that he couldn't smell them. Curiously he bent down and grabbed one of the flowers, breaking the delicate stem and lifted the flower up under his nose. Now he could smell the sweet scent, but it wasn't anything near the intense smell he was used to. Swallowing he threw the flower on the lawn and continued down the road until he reached the house's front door. Maybe he should check Bella's room out? He definitely would be able to tell if it really WAS his handwriting on the note Bella had been talking about. But what if he accidentically contaminated the evidence? No, he'd better not. As he was about to walk past the front door he noticed something white caught between the concrete steps of the stairs and a flower pot. Carefully he moved closer and bent down a little to have a better look. It looked like a crumbled envelope of some sort? Slowly Edward reached out his hand and pulled at it... It slipped out along with some dust and a little spider. Curiously Edward opened the envelope and pulled out a letter. His eyes grew wide as he read the short letter, which said:

**_Will the cold one cower_**  
**_In their latest hour_**  
**_Two heart rates gone flat_**  
**_Does Edward come back?_**

"What...?" Edward burst out and almost stumbled backwards. He only just managed to hold on to the note, so it didn't drift off in the morning breeze. This just couldn't be! Biting his lip he stared in the direction of Carlisle's house. Then he looked the opposite way... Was this a trap or a clue? Frustrated Edward stuck the note and the envelope in his pocket.

* * *

Bella and Jacob were sitting in the waiting room at the hospital, staring at the clock on the wall. It said 9.45am. Once in a while Bella glanced at Jacob shortly... he seemed... tense. Almost as if he was nervous about something.

"I really don't think I'm hurt bad," Bella said and forced a smile. Jacob turned his head, making his long, black hair fall on his muscular chest. Bella bit her lip. Jacob also forced a smile:

"You never know... I'm just worried about this whole thing," Jacob said and looked at Bella, who was sitting in an awkward way in order not to put too much weight on her injured leg. She nodded and scratched at a tiny hole in her jeans.

"What did the notes say?" Jacob asked suddenly and Bella seemed to snap back to the white waiting room. Hesitating for a moment Bella looked back at him:

"Well, Edward's said something about paying in blood... and yours about haunted dreams..." she said lowly and Jacob's eyebrow shot up.

"And you thought I wrote it...? I'm the one who gave you the dream catcher, you know," he said smiled a skew, comforting smile. However Bella's glance just found the floor:

"Whoever placed the notes broke it..." she said quietly and Jacob immediately frowned.

"Wait, the dream catcher is broken?" he asked and she could feel him tensing up from anger.

"Yea, one half is missing," she said in a sad voice and Jacob's fist suddenly slammed down on the bench on which they were sitting with a loud slam. Bella jumped slightly and everyone in the room was suddenly looking at them.

"Bella Swan?" someone said in a loud voice and Jacob shot up from the bench, staring at a man in a white coat standing in the hallway next to the reception counter. Bella's hand immediately grabbed a hold of Jacob's t-shirt:

"Jacob... take it easy..." she pleaded. Jacob shook his head slightly, feeling very uncomfortable that her hand was this close to his skin, which wasn't at all as hot as it usually was. He wondered if she could feel it through the fabric?

"I'm... sorry," he said and forced himself to smile. Luckily this was enough for her to let go of him, and by then the doctor had walked up to them:

"So you're Miss Swann...? And this is...?" he asked, looking at Jacob, seemingly undisturbed by his sudden outburst. Bella nodded and smiled:

"This is Jacob, he's a good friend of mine," she said and looked at the doctor, who was around fifty years of age with grey hair and a beard. He also wore small, round glasses and had about ten pens in the pocket of his coat.

"So... Jacob, would you like to wait here, and we'll just..." the doctor apparently named Jamison started, but he was immediately interrupted på Jacob:

"I'm going with her," he just said. The doctor looked annoyed for a moment and corrected his glasses:

"I see, well, follow me," he said as he shoved his arm under Bella's upper arm and helped her down the hallway. This made Jacob angry, but also he was kind of relieved, because then HE didn't have to touch her and risk getting exposed. As they walked down the long hallway, everyone in the waiting room was looking at them, whispering amongst themselves. Jacob couldn't even hear what they were saying...

"Here we are," Doctor Jamison said and opened the door to the X-ray room. As he helped Bella through the door; Jacob tried to follow, but this time Jamison stopped him:

"You can't go inthere. Hospital policy. But there's a chair right here," he said and pointed at a wooden chair by the wall in the hallway. Jacob wanted to protest, but he could clearly tell by the look in Bella's eyes that this wasn't the time for discussion. Annoyed he placed himself on the chair.

"We'll be right back," Jamison said and the door closed with a squirk.

Once inside Doctor Jamison helped Bella up onto the stretcher-like bed. Without saying a word he put on a weird-looking, black apron. He seeemed to notice her uneasyness:

"To protect me from radiation. Not that it's dangerous, but when you do this fifty times a day, then..." he said and chuckled. Bella managed to smile back. She was told to lie completely still, while Jamison got behind a shield of glass and took the x-ray picture. Bella's glance was exploring the room... white and sterile.

Outside of the room Jacob was still sitting on the chair, trying hard to decipher what he thought he could hear from behind the closed door. If it wasn't something he imagined... His hearing felt like it was totally impaired now. Suddenly the door opened and doctor Jamison walked out. Jacob quickly got up from the chair. Jamison took off his glasses and looked at him:

"Hi there. I'm afraid your friend has a fractured femur," he said in a maternal tone of voice as he polished the glasses in his coat. Jacob paled a little:

"What, her thigh bone is broken?" he asked in a shocked voice and looked the doctor up and down.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. I have given her some painkillers and she will go get a cast on now," Jamison said and smiled comfortingly:

"Don't worry, it's only a small fracture. It will heal within eight weeks," he said and nodded at Jacob, who immediately looked in through the crack in the ajar door:

"I'll go with her!" he insisted, but again Dr Jamison shook his head:

"I'm sorry, only relatives can accompany a patient in this way, I have already stretched the rules a bit. It's my job on the line here, son," he said compassionately and watched as Jacob clenched his fists.

"But you can help me fetch her a decent meal? These hospital jello thingies are SO much worse than you think," he chuckled and looked at Jacob, who was leaning against the wall, feeling powerless. In frustration he nodded:

"But who's taking care of her?" he asked and Jamison smiled:

"The nurses are, and you will see her again very soon. I promise. Now, let's get her some breakfast," he said and nodded for Jacob to follow him. He didn't like it much, but he was to no use sitting here on the hallway anyway. And just as they left, two nurses came down the hallway with a bed on wheels, heading for the x-ray room. Jacob sighed as he followed Jamison to the elevator. They stepped inside and Jamison pressed the button to the basement. Jacob frowned a bit and the doctor seemed to notice:

"The hospital kitchen is always in the basement. In order not to contaminate the different wards with smells or bacteria. Also, the cantina for the employees is in the basement," he said and went on rambling about different hospital issues, which Jacob really didn't care about. All he could think about right now was if Bella was alright. A broken thigh bone had to hurt...

"Here we are," Jamison suddenly said, and Jacob snapped back to reality. As the elevator doors opened with a 'ding', Jamison walked down a long, narrow hallway towards a corner further ahead. Jacob quickly followed him and noticed how ugly the yellow tiles on the floor were. Where was this kitchen? Wasn't a hospital kitchen pretty big?

"Right here, we'll use the staff kitchen, otherwise we'll have to stand in line for decades," Jamison said and nodded for Jacob to enter through a blank polished steel door.

"My old arms are no good when it comes to opening one of these heavy steel doors..." the doctor mumbled and looked at Jacob.

For a moment he hesitated. Something about this just felt off... but then again, everything felt off since the whole mortality thing. It was like he couldn't trust any of his feelings anymore. Sighing slightly Jacob placed his hand on the handle and pressed it down – inside it was totally dark.

"The switch is to your left," Jamison said and Jacob reached for it, but all he felt was cold tiles. Suddenly a hard push in the back sent Jacob flying into the pitch black room. He fumbled for something to hold on to, but instead he landed flat on his stomach on the tiles. Behind him he heard a chuckle and just as he spun around to punch Jamison in the face, the door was slammed shut in front of him.

"What are you doing..?" Jacob yelled and hammered his fist against the steel door in the darkness. He fumbled for the handle... found it... but the door was locked. On the other side of the door he could vaguely hear Jamison laughing. Then Jacob fumbled for the light switch...

"Have fun, my friend..!" Jamison chuckled as he started to walk away from the door. In the same second Jacob flicked the switch – and bright, white light filled the room, almost blinding him. His jaw dropped as he looked around... he was in the morgue.

"NO! Let me out, you bastard!" Jacob yelled as he tore at the door. But it didn't budge. He couldn't believe he had fallen for this... and now what about Bella? Jamison was out to kill her, and here he was locked in the morgue in the basement!

"Great, just great! Beautiful work, Jacob...!" he burst out and slid down the door to a sitting position. It was cold... very cold... He had to find a way out of there... But no matter where he looked there was nothing of use. Only metal hatches filled with corpses...

"Dammit!" he yelled and smacked his fist into the tiled floor.

* * *

Bella was lying in the hospital bed covered in white sheets. She couldn't believe she had actually fractured her thigh bone... She had always thought that a broken limb would hurt much more than this. Blinking a few times she looked around the room... Why was everything starting to look kind of smudged? 'Must be the painkillers', she thought and cleared her throat in an attempt to come out of her beginning haze. The nurses had left the room minutes ago... Where was doctor Jamison and Jacob? She wondered where Jacob had gone off to... didn't look like him to just disappear. A dark lump of worry started to form in her stomach.

Suddenly the door opened and Doctor Jamison walked in.

"Hello there, how are you doing?" he asked kindly and sat himself down on a chair next to her bed. Bella blinked her eyes again to try and focus properly.

"I feel dizzy... Where's Jacob?" she asked as her eyelids started to get a little heavy. Jamison chuckled again:

"Oh, that's completely normal... When you aren't used to painkillers, they can have that effect," he said and grabbed a hold of her hand, caressing it almost passionately. Bella eyes tried to grow wide, but they wouldn't. And she couldn't seem to move her hand.

"What are you doing...?" she asked hoarsely in a vague voice, and again that chuckle came. But this time it wasn't charming as it had been in the beginning, it was rather scary. Jamison looked down on her:

"I'm killing you, my dear," he chuckled and tilted his head a bit, smiling at her. She wanted to yell and scream, but it was like her vocal chords were paralyzed... Where was Jacob... Where was Edward... Jamison let go of her hand and rummaged about in a drawer. With a grin he pulled out an empty syringe and a little bottle of something Bella's eyes couldn't focus enough to read...


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

**

* * *

**

Edward immediately grabbed his phone as he was running towards the hospital from Bella's house. His breath was uneven and fast – something he hadn't experienced in so many years, but he didn't have the time to reflect on it. The note he had found by the staircase was overshadowing everything else on his mind. Bella was in great danger – Jacob too – and he had to act fast. As he glared down on the phone's display while running, he found out that it was dead... The display was just dark. No more battery. Edward cursed under his breath... Both Carlisle's house and the police station were in complete opposite directions of the hospital – he couldn't afford to spend time getting proper help and assistance... By then Bella would be dead. Just the thought of it made his heart hurt and beat twice as fast. It would take him about ten minutes to reach the hospital – and he was sprinting like mad. Houses and woods and ditches went by him – but his speed was pathetically slow compared to his usual one... And he pushed himself as hard as he could.

* * *

The searing cold was starting to take its toll on Jacob as he was only wearing his thin T-shirt and a pair of jeans. He had already started to pace around in circles just to keep warm... Just about twelve hours ago this wouldn't have been necessary at all, he would be warm and cosy – and would have been able to just kick the stupid steel door down. Instead – here he was, cold and utterly helpless. He had been slamming his fists into the door for what seemed like hours and his knuckles were now cracked and slightly bruised. How on earth had he just walked straight into that trap? And who was this Doctor Jamison really? And more importantly, what was he doing to Bella? A roar of frustration escaped Jacob's throat and again he started to hammer his hands into the cold steel door. For each punch a sharp pain exploded in his fists, but he kept going... He had to get out of here or Bella's death would be his fault... and he would lose her forever... Almost feeling like throwing up from worry and desperation, Jacob kicked on the door with his boot and leaned his cold forehead against the steel. Catching his breath he thought he heard something... Immediately he turned around, looking at the metal hatches hiding the corpses. Was someone alive? A chill ran down his spine, but then he discovered that the sounds were coming from the outside... For a split second his eyes grew wide – then he started yelling from the top of his lungs and hammered his fists into the door again. The sounds seemed to stop. Had he imagined it? With a yell and tears starting to rise in his eyes, he kicked the door with all of his might... Still the same old silence. With something that sounded like a sob he slid to the floor into a sitting position, just staring at the massive metal door. Why had he been so incredibly stupid? Burying his head in his hands, Jacob let out a deep sigh trying to get his focus back. But his concentration was abruptly broken, when he heard the metallic clicks of a key in a lock. Almost stumbling backwards, he jumped up and listened carefully – yes, it was a key in the lock! Starting to yell, Jacob hit the door again and he thought he heard a voice outside.

"HELP!" he yelled and placed his hand on the handle. Finally a big 'click' sounded and someone from the outside started to press the handle downwards. Immediately Jacob tore at the handle and the door swung open – in front of him was a rather scared-looking brunette in a white coat.

"Goodness, what are you doing in here?" she burst out with big eyes and her jaws seemed to drop as she looked Jacob up and down, studying his bruised fists and pale, semi-frozen skin. Jacob almost fell forwards as he hurried to get out of the cold room, nearly bumping into the nurse.

"Dr Jamison! Where is he?" Jacob yelled and grabbed a hold of the nurse's arm pleadingly – however she tried to tear away her arm and her eyes were all big and scared. Jacob kept his grasp and shook her lightly:

"Where IS he?" Jacob yelled, and the nurse seemed to pale:

"Security!" she suddenly yelled as she once again tried to yank her arm away from him. Jacob seemed to freeze for a moment:

"What? Why? Where is Jamison?" he yelled as he could he approaching, running footsteps. He looked down and noticed that the nurse had pushed her pager with her free hand.

"Look, just take it easy... You're hypothermic and..." she began, looking at him with caring, yet scared eyes. Jacob shook his head as if this was all a bad dream – what was she doing? The sound of the running footsteps came closer and closer...

"He locked me in there! Where is he, he's about to kill Bella!" Jacob yelled, and the nurse looked at him incredulously, but she was no longer resisting his grasp around her arm:

"Of course, well, if you just relax we can get you something to calm you down and it will all be fine, I guarantee that w..." the nurse began, but this time Jacob let go of her arm:

"And I guarantee that I am not insane! Where is he?" Jacob demanded, but in the same second three big men in white T-shirts came rumbling around the corner in the basement about seven doors further down the hallway.

"Damn it!" Jacob yelled and turned around on his heels, starting to run in the opposite direction. He had to find the elevator and fast, he had to get back to where he saw Bella last. He didn't have the time to ask in the reception, he had to find her on his own. But this was a big hospital and with three muscular porters on his tail it wouldn't be easy. But he was out and he was free, and now he had to save Bella. He ran as fast as he could around a corner, bumping into a nurse, who dropped her papers and journals – he managed to almost cough an apology as he stormed past her. His stamina and muscle strength was NOT what it had been twelve hours ago either. As he directed his glance back at the hallway he noticed a small personnel elevator a few doors ahead... and he sprinted for it – the hallway here was pretty much empty and he finally reached the sliding doors, but they were closed. Frantically he pushed the button, looking to the left where he knew the porters soon would round the corner.

"Come on, come on...!" he gasped out of breath, pushing the button repeatedly – it lit up with white light, and he could hear the rumbling of the cables and cylinders. The door would open any second now, but he wasn't sure how many seconds he had left. The footsteps came closer and in the same moment the doors slid open and Jacob leaped inside, pushing the button to the floor where he presumed Bella had to be. He almost chanted the word 'close' inside his mind and he could feel his heart racing like crazy... the button was lit up and the doors slowly began to close. But the running footsteps outside seemed to almost deafen him – just as the doors closed he could hear the sound of flat hands hitting them from the outside. The elevator started moving and Jacob leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath. He just had to get there in time! He had to!

* * *

Bella was almost blindly staring at Doctor Jamison's face, which was focusing on filling the syringe with the unknown liquid from the small bottle. Her vocal chords and physique wouldn't obey her mind, and she felt lightheaded and completely unable to move. Her heart however was racing wildly as she was trying to force her lips to form the word 'help'. It wasn't happening. Instead she was here, caught in this bright hospital room behind a closed door with an insane doctor who wanted to kill her. But why? She didn't even know him! Where was Edward? And what had happened to Jacob?

"You know, it won't hurt a bit," Jamison chuckled as he put the bottle down on a trey and stood up. Studying the shiny needle, he smiled and looked at Bella:

"It's kind of like being on a fluffy cloud, dear," he said and grabbed a chair, which he placed next to Bella's bed. With his other hand he wiped Bella's sweaty forehead and chuckled again. Bella's heart seemed to double-beat. Her teary eyes blinked several times to try to clear up the blurry vision, but it didn't help. Then she thought she heard some noise from the hallway, but in the same moment Jamison patted her cheek:

"Are you ready to die?" he asked in a paternal tone of voice and moved the syringe down towards her arm, not waiting for an answer. She couldn't even shake her head. In a amoment she would feel the metal pierce her skin and she would be... dead. A tear rolled down her cheek. Just in that second a loud, shattering noise exploded in the room and through the haze Bella saw a figure storm into the room. Jamison shot up from his seat, and directed the syringe at the intruder. Bella's throat seemed to clench and she swallowed hard as she watched the blurry scene unfold – the figure and the white coat were standing opposite each other for a few seconds, before a familiar voice uttered a furious roar. And the figure, which had to be Jacob, slammed into Jamison and they both fell down, out of view.

* * *

Running through the hallways of the hospital Edward stormed towards room 354, where the receptionist had told him Isabella Swan was hospitalized. Luckily it was visiting hours, so he hadn't been forced to argue or get physical to gain access. The doors on each side passed him so surrealistically slow and he thought he could hear some commotion up ahead. He turned a corner and noticed a half-broken wooden door – the sign next to the doorframe said 354 and his heart thumped so hard he thought he was going to pass out. Not wasting a second he burst through the ajar door, smacking it open and making it almost fall off the broken hinges. On the floor there was a doctor in a white coat... he was limp and seemed lifeless. Quickly Edward looked up and by the window there was a bed with Bella in it. She was okay, it seemed! She was looking at Jacob, who was standing by the window. He quickly noticed him and rolled down the white Venetian blinds, blocking the sunlight. Slowly Bella turned her head and looked at Edward, but she seemed like she didn't recognize him...

"Bella, thank god, are you alright?" Edward burst out and hurried to her side, stopping himself from grabbing her hand. She would quickly notice that he was warm and not cold... Jacob wasn't touching her either, but looked at Edward:

"She's drugged, he was going to..." Jacob started, but in the same second the rest of the door was broken down and a team of hospital porters stood there, seemingly frozen for a second from the sight of Jamison on the floor. Quickly one of them knelt down and checked his pulse...

"He's dead...?" the man burst out and got back up, staring at Jacob:

"Okay, kid... Just take it easy... We're going to help you, okay?" he said in a way too calm voice and started to approach the bed. Edward frowned and looked at Jacob, who was staring the the porter:

"Look at his shoulder!" Jacob burst out and all of the porters looked down shortly – in Jamison's shoulder the synringe was buried to the handle, empty.

"You'll find my prints AND his on it... but strangely enough only HIS on the bottle of Sevoflurane, which I injected him with in self-defence. He was going to kill her, and once she's out of the haze he put her in, she will confirm it. He also locked me in the morgue to prevent me from interfering," Jacob said and surprise and disbelief spread on the faces of the porters.

"Call the police..." the man said as he looked at the dark, messy room. Jacob and Edward looked down on Bella:

"I'm so happy you're alright...!" they both burst out at the same time. Bella managed to smile skewly, an appreciative and grateful smile. She wondered why Edward wasn't kissing or hugging her, but right now she was just happy to be alive. This had been too close... But... It was sunny outside, how did he even get here with exposing himself in public? The blinds were down, but... Her mind didn't have the strength to think further and she almost drifted asleep.

"She needs rest," a man in a white coat suddenly said, who was standing in the doorway.

"The police will be here shortly... I have been informed that until they arrive you are not allowed to talk to each other. Please – come with me," the doctor named Marsters said to the two young men. They looked at each other shortly:

"I don't want to leave her," Edward said, feeling awfully guilty that he hadn't been here to protect the love of his life. Luckily Jacob had done the job for him, but still... it was his love, his responsibility. But it seemed like Jacob had moved from her side as well... Sending the longhaired native American an investigative stare, he gently patted Bella's sheets. She seemed to be asleep.

"Please, follow me. The hospital security will guard her along with a doctor," Marsters said and Jacob scowled:

"Look what happened with the last doctor..." he said and felt uneasy. He had actually killed someone... a human. But he had had no choice.

Marsters looked at both of them seriously:

"If you don't follow me right away, you will be forced to - and charged with obstruction of police work," he said and Edward looked at the floor. They had no choice. And reluctantly they followed Marsters, who put the two of them in seperate rooms, placing a big porter outside each one.

A doctor immediately checked up on Bella... she was sleeping heavily, but seemed to be fine. A nurse walked into the new room, which Bella had been tranbsferred to, handing her journal to the doctor. He curiously opened it and pulled out the x-rays – the cast needed to be put on as soon as possible, so the bone wouldn't heal wrong. But as he looked at the pictures, he frowned. There was absolutely no sign of any bone damage. Maybe the kid had been right after all...


End file.
